Most enterprise networks cannot handle big data loads

Enterprise IT can't keep up with the growing data overload, survey finds. This time the problem revolves around network bandwidth and overall performance. An Accenture survey of 300 IT professionals found that most believe their enterprise networks are not up to the task of handling big data and Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. Only 43% of the companies surveyed said their networks were ready to support cloud, IoT and other digital technologies.

The key reason (58%) was “misalignment between IT and business needs,” which hindered the introduction of new products. This is an unusual finding, as 85% of respondents also said their networks were fully or mostly ready to support the business’ digital initiatives.

The second and third most frequently cited barriers were “the inherent complexity between business needs and operational requirements” and “demands for bandwidth, performance, etc. outstripping the ability to deliver,” at 45% each.

Network bottlenecks continue to grow as the amount of data being transferred over the network increases due to analytics and other big data technologies. The survey found that bandwidth demands are not being met and current network performance is not up to par.

Other reasons cited were lack of network skills, device sprawl and aging equipment.

One way to solve network performance problems is: SDN

Accenture found that most companies say software-defined networking (SDN) is a solution to bandwidth and performance challenges, with 77% of respondents saying they are deploying or have completed SDN deployment. It noted that while SDN may exist in some parts of the enterprise, it is not always rolled out uniformly across the enterprise.

While no one seems to have enough budget to meet their “ambitions” right now, 31% of respondents to the survey said that funding network improvements within the control of the network infrastructure team is “easy.”

“Traditional networks alone cannot support the innovation and performance required in the digital age,” the report said, calling for the adoption of new technologies without mentioning SDN by name. It also called for more collaboration between C-Department and its direct reports, as the two sides apparently have different views on things.

“We believe that a new networking paradigm is needed to ensure that networks meet current and future business needs. However, despite signs of progress, the pace of change remains slow. Companies must undertake significant work before they can achieve unified and standardized enterprise capabilities that deliver the necessary bandwidth, performance, and security to support the business needs of today and tomorrow,” the report concludes.